Facing Me
by Andyamity
Summary: Hanna and her friends ponder the mystery of "A's" message that appears on Hanna's cast. She finds herself continually thinking about the recent incident, and encounters a strange experience.


What draws me to this show is the mystery and suspense, so I thought I would write about it. Let me know what you think. I'm not sure how far I'll go with it yet.

Facing Me

* * *

"Sorry for losing my temper earlier." –A

Hanna Marin sat in the hospital bed, staring at the message that had captured her and her friends' attention. Her mind raced and her heart beat fast. Glancing up, her friends' eyes met hers. She looked down at the white cast that encircled her leg, the message written in black, bold ink.

She simply did not understand. Their secret torturer, the mysterious culprit that has been haunting them for months, had been in this very room. Alone-with Hannah.

Aria spoke first, the anxiety evident in her voice. "Hannah, who has been here today?"

"I-I-don't know." She was sweating now, and she struggled to keep her voice steady.

Aria ran her hand over the message, trying to find some explanation.

" 'Sorry for losing my temper'…but who would write that?"

"Aria, I don't know!" Her breathing grew heavier.

"Noel…."

"He can't be "A." He's never lost his temper around me."

"Yet then again, you wouldn't remember that, would you?"

Hanna shot her a look.

Spencer stared off into the distance, and Hanna hoped her intelligence would save them all, but she was just as perplexed as the rest of them.

Her friends continued to bombard her with ever-rising questions, yet she could not answer them. The car accident had certainly damaged her; she grew upset at herself for being unable to clearly remember past events. She strained herself to think of all the visitors that had come and go, but which one had lost their temper?

It was hopeless. The mystery to all the messages seemed unsolvable, and this was certainly no exception. Once again, "A's" infamous cleverness had gotten the best of them.

Hanna laid back on the bed, sinking into the pillows, exhaustion quickly overwhelming her. The stress of the last few months hit her. She tried to fight this coming sensation and the weakness that threatened to break her. Her friends sat speechless now, able only to stare straight ahead and let their minds wander far. "A" had tried to kill their best friend. Who was next?

Hours later Hanna started to drift. Right now all she wanted was to sleep forever, and let the pain of yesterdays fade away. This exhaustion longed to take over, but the thought of "A's" latest message turned over in her mind. "_Let it go_," she told herself. "_It's just A's way of messing with you again. Let it go_." She failed at convincing herself, and instead fought the urge to look upon the cast. The fact that she knew "A," had confronted him and might even have called him a friend, disturbed her. How could someone you love try to kill you? Immediately her mind went to Alison. In her heart she couldn't help but be somewhat angry, for her murder and controlling attitude had gotten them all into this mess. She was tired of the continuing spiral of lies and deceit. The place it had landed her was the hospital, and she didn't want to think about what could be next. Yet soon even her own thoughts couldn't keep her awake, as she closed her eyes, and the world went black.

She found herself in a room, inside the bed in which she had been confined to for days. But something was different and strange. The room seemed unusually dark; a haunting darkness that not even nighttime could bring. Hanna tried to look through the cracks in the blinds, but the blackness kept her from doing so. The sound of creaking filled her ears, and she slowly turned her head to see the door moving open slightly. No light was coming in from the corridors of the hospital. She felt fear rising in her; how could the hospital be dark? The hospital was never dark. Or was it? The door continued to move ever so slightly, as a foot slid into the room. Hanna felt like she was suffocating; she hoped to be camouflaged by the darkness.

Suddenly a whole figure appeared in the room. She could barely make out the outline, let alone features. A whisper filled the room, a strange and low sound. The words echoing off the walls were unclear to her and sounded almost foreign. The figure came more distinct as it drew closer and closer. Hanna felt her chest tighten with every increasing sound of the footsteps. Soon the mysterious character laid a gloved hand upon the sheets, and she could now make out a hood covering his face. The man drew closer and bent down until his face was even with hers. Her breathing was shallow. Why wouldn't she move? Was her curiosity to discover "A" greater than possible death? Yet she felt she couldn't move even if she had wanted to. It was as if she was stuck there, frozen in time, as he stared into her eyes. He pushed back his hood, his eyes sparkling in the darkness under his short, curly hair. Something registered in Hanna, as a familiarity she wished to not know hit her. She could not hold it back any longer-she screamed. Despite how loud she tried to scream, to cry out in desperation, shock, and a hope to be heard, no sound came out. The room was as silent as before, the man before her still staring into her eyes. It couldn't be him. A devious smile spread across his face, his white teeth gleaming. The look of his smile made Hanna sick to her stomach; made her want to turn away from his face. She felt the familiarity wash away; this side of him she had never seen, and certainly could never imagine. He could not be the one that had caused her so much pain. She hated him then. The silence screamed louder than ever, echoing through the darkness, as the face drew from hers and began to fade. And all was gone.


End file.
